Street-car fender.



No. 847,084. 'PATBNTED MAR. 12, 1902.

W. 1). LEFIWIOH.

STREET GAR FENDER. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 29. 1906.

2 SHjEBTS-SHHET 1.

- No. 847,084. V PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

w. D. LEFTWIGH. STREET OAR FBNDER. APPLICATION FILED 1130.29, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A r-inky .hm M

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. LEFTWIOH, OF FITT SBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.- ST ET-OAR FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented March 12, 1907.

Application filed December 29,1906. Serial No. (-14%),979,

hicles;-and it has for its object to provide a fender which will be automatically turned to the right or left as the car turns, so as to locatethe fender so far as ossible across the a roadway between the trac s during the turnmg of the car, as around a corner, and to automatically relocate the fender in central position in front of the car for a straight track. Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus in its normal position for operation, indicating the adjusted ositions in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical ongitudinal sectional view on the line II II of Fig; 1. Fig.3 is a transverse sectional view, on an enlarged scal'e, taken on the line. III III of Fig. 1. I

In the drawings, 2 represents the car-body or underframe (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1) mounted upon the usual truck 3, supportgd'by wheels 4, as will be readily understoo At the front of the car are mounted in brackets 5 the usual supporting-bolts 6,,su

porting the fender. 'I he fender, as a who e. is similar to fenders in common use, consist ing of a rectangular framework made of pipesections or other suitable material,-having the main side bars 7 7, which extend backwardly andv are-pivotally mounted at 8 to the lower ends of-supporting pins or bolts 6 in such a manner that the entire fender may be thrown up against the front of the car when not inuse; Ordinarily it is maintained in its lowered position, by any suitable supporting mechanism, as pawls 9, pivoted at 10 to supporting-bolts 6, whereby its angle may be adjusted, the pawls 9 engaging teeth' 11 in bars 7 in the same manner as is in common use in other fenders.

' 12 13 are the main transverse back and front bars of the fender, the front bar being preferablyprovided With a supplemental bar 14, and said bars 12 and 1,3 are pivotally connected at their terminals," as indicated at 15,

I with the main. side bars7, so. that when the structure is thrown to the right or the left, as

indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the entire frame will readily adjust itself by reason of such pivotal connection. Likewise transverse bars 16 of the fender are pivotally mounted at their ends to the bars 12 and 13, so that the entire structure is thus rendered flexible for the objects in view.

For the purpose of throwing the fender appropriately toward the right when the car is turning in that direction, and'vice versa, I have. provided mechanism consisting "of a winding drum or sheave 17, secured upon shaft 18, mounted in suitable'bearings 19 19,

depending downwardly from underneath the underframe 2, and therefore'rigidly connected ,with the car, so as to rise and fall with it independent of the truck. Secured to said drum 17 are operating cables or r'opes 20 20, passed aroun cent to each corner of the car, as shown, and then crossed over toward opposite sides and connected, as at 22 22, to the opposite corners of the fender structure. By this construction it will be seen that as-the'drum 17:

rotates in one directionor the otherit will wind'in one cable and pay out the other at the same rate, resulting in the movement of the fender, as desired, and when the drum is reversed the fender will be relocated in its origina position.

- For-the purpose of actuating drum 1 7 and the fender,-as stated, I employ a rack-bar 23, mounted rigidly in bearings 24 u on the front end of truck 3, whereby when t e truck turns toward the right or the left the rack-bar 23 will correspondingly turn'. Owing to the.

mounting of the car-body upon the trucks, the front" end of the car extends outwardly in alinement-with the straight tracks and is not ordinarily thrown across around the curve until anappreciabletime, after the wheels of the truck have commenced to travel around the curved tracks, and due to this fact the fender ordinarily projects outwardly in front of the car and usually entirely at one side of the curved tracks, which is the eflect I desire to obviate. a

Connected with shaft 18 by double universal joints25 is a shaft 26, slldingly mounted at its back end in box 27, mounted between bufit'ensprings 28 28 in a vertically-arranged housing 29, said bearin 27 being flanged front and back of said housing, as shown.

guiding-sheaves 21 21, adja- Such construction permits of compensation for any variations of the housing29, due to jolting, &c., and permits of free longitudina motion of the shaft in its bearing.

is a pinion-wheel having a length considerably greater thanthe face of rack 23, as shown, whereby to always maintain the teeth of said pinion and rack in engagement independent of any longitudinal movement, while 31 31 are rollers slidingly mounted .on arms 32 of frames 33, secured on shaft 26, engaging underneath the rack 23, further supporting and stiffening the structure and holding the pinion 30in mesh with the rack.

In front of rack 23 is an additional guiding-frame 34, extending by arms 35. from bearings 24, and preferably consisting of an upper and lower guiding-bar of any suitable construction. 4

Both frame 34 and rack-bar 23 conform to the arc of a circle struck from the center of the truck, and between the upper and lower guide-bars 34 is a grooved roller 36, mounted Y on shaft 26 and adapted to facilitate the operation of said shaft in swinging towardone' side or the other. v 1

The operation is as follows: When the truck. 3 and its connected rack 23 swings to one side or the other, rotary motion is imparted to shafts 26. and 18, effecting corre sponding rotation of drum 17 and causing the fender to swing in the desired direction during the passage of the car around the curve as controlled by its mounting upon the truck. When the truck passes forwardly onto the straight tracks, the fender is correspondingly straightened out into alinement in front of the car, and such operation will occur at each curve and will operate in the same way whether the curve be toward the right or left.

By reason of the universal joints 25 the driving connection from shaft 26 to shaft 18 will be maintained irrespective of vertical variations of the car-body with relation to scope oi. the following claims. What I claim .is

1. The 'combinatlon with a car provided 'with a winding-drum, of a laterally-adjustable fender, flexible connections between the fender and the drum, and mechanism automatically operative upon turning of the cartruck, to actuate said winding-drum and fender, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a car providedwith a winding-drum, of a laterally adjustable fender, flexible connections between the fender and the drum, a truck providedwith arack-bar, and a shaft connected with said said rack-bar, substantially as set forth.

I 3. Theco bination' with a car provided with a windmg drum, of a laterally-adjustable fender, flexible eonnectionsbetween the fender and the drum, a truck provided with a rack-bar, and a shaft connected with said variations. are tobe considered aswithin the drum and provided with a pinion engaging drum and provided with a pinion engaging said rack-bar, with flexible connections between said shaftand drum, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a car provided witha winding-drum, of a laterally-adjustable fender, flexible connectionsbetweenthe fender and the drum, a truck provided with a rack-bar, a shaft connected with said drum and provided with a pinion engaging said rack-bar, and supportin and guiding devices for said shaft and pinion, substantially as set forth. v

- 5. The combination witha car pi'ovided with a winding-drum, of a laterally-adjustable fender, flexible connections between the fender-and the drum, a truck provided with a rack-bar, a shaft connected with'said' drum and provided with a pinion engaging said rack-bar, supporting and guiding devices for said shaft andpinion, and arear sliding bearing for said shaft having upper and lowe'r cushioning-springs, substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIAM D. LEFTWICH. Witnesses:

CHAsl S. LEPLEY, C. M. CLARKE. 

